Director of Product Development

Director, Product Development

Children's Licensed & Private Label Apparel (Walmart)

Position Overview

The Director of Product Development will lead the end-to-end development process for children's licensed and private label apparel programs, with a primary focus on Walmart. This role is responsible for driving product execution from concept through production, managing offshore vendor relationships, ensuring compliance with licensor and retailer requirements, and leading a team of product development professionals. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in children's apparel, licensed products, and Walmart's business model, with a proven ability to deliver commercially successful programs while balancing quality, margin, and speed to market.

Salary is $150K - $160K

4 days in office (Fridays are work from home)

Key Responsibilities

Product Development Leadership

• Lead all aspects of product development for children's apparel programs across licensed and private label businesses.
• Drive product execution from concept through bulk production while ensuring alignment with customer expectations, margin targets, and delivery deadlines.
• Partner closely with Design, Merchandising, Sales, Technical Design, Production, and Sourcing teams to bring seasonal assortments to market.

Walmart Business Management

• Serve as a key product development leader supporting Walmart apparel programs.
• Manage development calendars, milestone tracking, line review preparation, and customer-specific requirements.
• Ensure products are developed to meet Walmart quality, compliance, testing, packaging, and cost objectives.

Licensed Product Development

• Oversee the development of licensed apparel programs across major entertainment and consumer brands.
• Manage licensor approvals for artwork, garments, trims, packaging, and marketing materials.
• Partner with licensing teams to ensure adherence to brand standards and approval timelines.

Vendor & Global Sourcing Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with global manufacturing partners.
• Lead negotiations related to costing, development timelines, MOQ requirements, and product execution.
• Collaborate with sourcing teams to identify opportunities for cost savings, speed-to-market improvements, and operational efficiencies.

Team Leadership

• Manage, mentor, and develop Product Development Managers, Coordinators, and cross-functional team members.
• Establish clear development processes and accountability measures to drive consistent execution.
• Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team culture.

Financial & Costing Oversight

• Own product costing strategies to achieve margin objectives while maintaining quality standards.
• Analyze costing trends and identify opportunities for value engineering.
• Partner with Sales and Merchandising teams to ensure profitability targets are achieved.

Compliance & Quality Management

• Ensure adherence to all Walmart compliance, testing, labeling, and safety requirements, including children's product regulations.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance and Production teams to proactively address potential risks.
• Oversee product approval processes and production readiness.

Qualifications

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in children's apparel product development.
• Significant experience developing children's private label and licensed apparel programs for Walmart.
• Prior experience leading product development teams and managing direct reports.
• Strong understanding of the mass retail marketplace and high-volume apparel businesses.

Licensing Expertise

• Extensive experience working with entertainment and character licenses.
• Strong understanding of licensor approval processes and brand compliance requirements.
• Experience managing licensed apparel categories for major licensors such as Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, Mattel, Hasbro, Pokémon, Universal, or similar brands.

Technical & Business Skills

• Deep knowledge of children's apparel construction, fabrication, graphic applications, trims, fit, and costing.
• Advanced Excel and PLM system proficiency.
• Strong understanding of product lifecycle management, sourcing strategy, and vendor management.
• Ability to analyze margins, costing structures, and development timelines.